The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-09-10
THE MYSTERIOUS DOG.
Whence Did He Come, and Where
Did He COP

II have no story of ghost or witch,
no tale of uncanny horrors to relate"
said old DR.. Gray, in a pause of the
conversation to which he had been an
intent listener. The wild winds with
out, the sweeping of the gale across the
lake beyond the harbor, and the grue-
some night had suggested tales of
supernatural order, and each had added
his mite of experience. but" con-
tinued the doctor, 81 am reminded of u
singular incident that happened during
the second year of my practice-one
that regarded at the time as a warm
ing of something that was coming into
my life; but as time glided smoothly by
and nothing came of it, 1 ceased to
think of the matter.
LAS you all know, located in the
beginning in the thrifty village of
Haven, overlooking the Mohawk. A
busy little town it was in those days.
The railroad magnates had placed
their round-houses there, giving us
the finest eating house on the line, and
caused all the noontime and early even
ing trains to stop there for hot meals.
The farmers used it for market place,
bringing their cheese and butter there;
they sold them to the dealers who
came up from the large towns on the
Hudson and below. Through the sum-
mer weather the farmers wives drove
their sleepy nags along the dusty coun-
try roads, with great baskets of eggs,
potsIof butter, the clearest of honey, and
the purest of mlple syrup, to sell at
the depot or village stores. Every
thing seemed prosperous, everybody
was busy. soon gathered an excel
lent practice; not so much due to my
own merit, perhaps, as to the fact that
providence, or fate, seemed to will it so.
wien hung out my sign before 6
modest Office on Main street, there were
two physicians in town; one the Ole
doctor, the other Il young man who dice
of consumption about six mo tbs after
That same fall the old doctor, driving
a fractions horse over the frozer
ground, was thrown from his sulky
and picked up at the breaking of the
gray winters day by working-men 90
ing to their days labor. He lowered
between life and death for weeks, anC
not until June, with its soft, bland all
was come did he appear on the village
streets. The Intervening time was one
of unusual sickness, and everybody
was, in measure, compelled to try
the new doctor. | tried to attend to it
and what they did first from necessity
they afterwards did from choice, ant
almost every family was mine before
the six months were ended. Yet wa
not content, for like Alexander of old
sighed for other worlds to conquer.
"Some five miles from the village
lived Farmer Miles on one of the fines
farms in tho town. He inherited j
and the grand old homestead from hi
father, anil beside his Owl immediate
family, which was large, three sister
and two brothers owned legacics in tn,
farm and homes in the mansion rs lon!
as they desired to claim them. Nor
than this. some eight or ten families o
relatives in that vicinity had fashion
of founding their faith in politics, re
ligion. and physics upon that of Farme
Miles. The way he voted was the wa,
they voted, Tia church that he attende,
they also attended, aud sooner or late
the doctor he employed was the on
that they would employ. Therefore t
secure the practice OF the farmer mean
a long ll>tuf .wn"m on the column
OF my uay gvvA NllG pay galoUe-an